Bristol Beaufighter Mk.IF 'Night Fighter'
The Bristol Beaufighter was a British long-range heavy fighter, developed early in 1939 from the Beaufort torpedo bomber. It became an efficient night-fighter, employing the then novel AI radar. Following short-term development the first prototype flew in July 1939 and the first aeroplanes reached the squadrons in the summer of the next year.
The Beaufighter was a two-seat, twin engine, all-metal mid-wing cantilever monoplane, fitted with a retractable undercarriage. It was powered by two Hercules radial engines and the armament consisted of four cannons in the nose, four guns in the starboard wing and another two guns in the port wing.
The Beaufighter Mk.IF was destined for RAF Fighter Command units, while the Mk.IC, fitted with an additional radio and navigational equipment, was a dedicated long-range fighter for the Coastal Command. Total production of both variants reached 914 aircraft.
The Beaufighter had a long career and served in almost all theatres of war during the WWII, at first as a night fighter, then as a fighter-bomber and eventually being used as a torpedo-bomber.
Colour schemes included in the kit:
1) Bristol Beaufighter Mk.IF, R2248, Grey WM-S, No.68 Sq., RAF, High Ercall airfield (detachment Valley, Anglesey), autumn 1941
2) Bristol Beaufighter Mk.IF, X7671, Red WP-D, No.89 Sq., RAF, Abu Sueir airfield, Egypt, spring 1942
3) Bristol Beaufighter Mk.IF, T4637, Red NG-O, No.604 Sq., RAF, Middle Wallop airfield, autumn 1942
4) Bristol Beaufighter Mk.IF, V8318, Sky F, No.252 Sq., RAF, El Magrun (Al Maqrūn) airfield, Libya, spring 1943
This injection-moulded kit contains 53 parts and six clear parts (cockpit canopies, position lights etc.). A comprehensive instruction leaflet and a decal sheet are included.
The Bristol Beaufighter is a British heavy, twin-engined night fighter, attack aircraft and torpedo plane, with a full metal, half-shell structure. It flew for the first time on June 17, 1939, and its serial production started in the same year. During the war, many versions of the Beaufighter were created, including Mk.I, Mk.II, TF Mk.X or TF Mk.XI. The Mk.I version was the first to function as a night fighter and was equipped with the AI Mk. IV. It also had strong armament: 4 20mm cannons and 6 7.7mm MGs. Mk..X version. was the last to be produced in large numbers and combined the advantages of a fighter plane with the strike force of a torpedo bomber. This version was powered by Bristol Hercules XVII engines with a capacity of 1770HP. Bristol Beaufighter planes served a total of 53 squadrons of the RAF, 15 squadrons of the Royal Navy and the Polish 307 Squadron of Lwowskie Puchacze. All versions and models of this plane were not easy to pilot and suffered badly from spinning and problems caused by the failure of one engine. In addition, the Bristol Beaufighter had a very weak rudder which resulted in poor directional stability. Mainly for these reasons, from 1943 they were successively replaced on the front lines by the DeHavilland Mosquito. Technical data: Maximum speed: 512 km / h, speed of climb: 8.17 m / s, maximum ceiling 5800 m, maximum range: 2816 km, armament (hunting version): fixed - 4 20mm Hispano cannons and 6 rifles machine gun caliber 7.7 mm, suspended-up to 906 kg of bombs.
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